Book of Praise 2014 edition

Book Description:

The Book of Praise: Anglo-Genevan Psalter has an important function within the worship services of the Canadian Reformed Churches. The word "praise" in the title reminds us of the exhortation in the letter to the Hebrews: "… let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name" (13:15). Because of his grace and faithfulness, the Lord meets with the people of his covenant in the worship service. In response to his Word we offer up our sacrifices of praise in psalms and hymns. The creeds and confessions are also the fruit of lips that acknowledge God's name. Our Book of Praise can be divided into four main parts, each of which serves as a reminder of our Reformed heritage: the Psalms and hymns, our doctrinal standards, the liturgical forms and prayers, and the Church Order and subscription forms. Reformed churches have always attached great value to the Psalter as a collection of songs of God's covenant. John Calvin wrote the following about congregational singing in his preface to the Geneva Psalter, 1543:

As for public prayers, there are two kinds: the one consists simply of speech, the other of song…. And indeed, we know from experience that singing has great strength and power to move and to set on fire the hearts of men in order that they may call upon God and praise him with a more vehement and more ardent zeal. It is to be remembered always that this singing should not be light or frivolous, but that it ought to have weight and majesty, ... Now, what Augustine says is true, namely that no one can sing anything worthy of God which he has not received from him. Therefore, even after we have carefully searched everywhere, we shall not find better or more appropriate songs to this end than the Psalms of David, inspired by the Holy Spirit. And for this reason, when we sing them, we are assured that God puts the words in our mouth, as if he himself were singing through us to exalt his glory.

The first complete Genevan Psalter was published in 1562. Four years later the Genevan tunes were used by Petrus Dathenus in his Dutch versification of the Psalms. The Genevan Psalter has been associated with the churches of the Reformation ever since. When members of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) came to North America after the Second World War and established the Canadian Reformed Churches, they brought with them their appreciation for the Genevan Psalter. As early as 1954, the first General Synod of our churches appointed a committee to study the possibility of producing such a Psalter in the English language. In 1972 the first complete Book of Praise: Anglo-Genevan Psalter appeared, and English metrical versions of all the Psalms could be sung for the first time to the authentic Genevan melodies of the sixteenth century. The present text is the result of a thorough revision of this Psalter as it was initiated by General Synod 2007 and completed by General Synod 2013.

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